A Pearl Necklace
by Sylmarien
Summary: How Kaito should have discovered Lucia's true identity.
1. Chapter 1

**Heyla guys, this my version on how Kaito should have discovered who Lucia really is. This happens between season one and two but changes season one a bit so that in the last episode Kaito doesn't find out who lucia is even though he sees her as a mermaid etc etc. Also Sara and Gaito didn't die but that's another story. ******

**Disclaimer: No I don't own Mermaid Melody etc etc. You know the drill.**

_The rainbow wind blows at a far off coast.  
Before dawn, there was a melody I heard.  
It's a very nostalgic song._

Lucia sang the words with a heavy heart, once again she'd appeared before Kaito and once again he'd failed to recognise her. What would it take to make him realise?

"Kaito you idiot," she whispered, tears leaking from her eyes which she scrubbed away impatiently with one had. "Why won't you see that it's me?"

*Don't worry Lucia, he will realise soon enough* an orange light appeared and Sara smiled out at her from inside it. She held out her arms to the sad little mermaid in front of her and sang

_On a bed of ripples, on the morning you woke up  
Everything ended and began again.  
Engulfed in the warm, quiet light  
my hopes matured, and returned to the sea.  
The bell of happiness rings out as the seven seas shine forth.  
A miracle of love that it causes is what I love most, and as we want to gaze at each other  
we gently kiss._

Lucia cried even harder as Sara continued to sing but then suddenly her tears stopped and with a deep breath she smiled once again. Sara nodded approvingly, *Be strong Lucia, Kaito will realise the truth soon, deep inside he is already starting to put the pieces together. Give him a bit more time.* She smiled gently, *he loves you Lucia, in both of your forms and he will love you every bit as much when he discovers they are one and the same.*

"I understand, thank you Sara." Lucia wiped the last tears off her cheeks and Sara smiled once more then disappeared.

With renewed confidence and purpose Lucia dove off into the sea and swam to the shore, hiding behind some rocks she touched her pearl and wished to be human. For a moment she glowed softly with pink light and then her tail split into two legs, her hair shortened and darkened and her eyes changed from bright blue to brown. When the light faded Lucia had transformed from a mermaid into a human. She stood up and headed back to the Pearl Piari. Tomorrow was a new day and a new opportunity, she wouldn't waste it.

~*~

Kaito stood on the deck of Maki's restaurant. It was after closing time so only he and Maki were there, they'd been tidying up after a busy Saturday of serving food and drinks to beachgoers and Kaito was taking a break.

Looking out across the sea he drank from a glass of juice and watched the waves break endlessly onto the shore. He shook his head, "Who on earth _is_ she and why does she keep asking me to find her?" he wondered, thinking over what happened just a few hours ago. "I've been looking for her for seven years and not seen her once, now she appears in front of me at least once a week telling me to find her. Why won't she just _tell_ me where I can find her?"

_Maybe she _can't_ tell you dummy_ A small part of himself asked, _If she was able to tell you that wouldn't she have done it already?_

"Probably," he admitted, "But can she at least give me a clue? I mean telling me to find her is all very well but it's not like I have much to go on. I can't go around asking people whether they've seen a pink mermaid swimming around now can I?"

_Maybe's she's already given you a clue and you just don't realise it?_

"Ahhh!" Kaito thumped the railing in annoyance, "I've thought this through a million times already, I give up. Maybe something will happen tomorrow that'll help."

He went back inside, Maki was just finishing so he said his farewells and headed home. Maybe sleeping on it would actually help this time.

~*~

Lucia was a bit worried about Kaito, he'd been distracted and distant all day at school and hadn't even noticed the first time she'd asked him if he was okay. He'd given her a confused look until she repeated her question and then all he did was make a noncommittal sort of noise before going back to gazing out the windown.

She watched him for the rest of the day but left him to his thoughts, hoping that whatever he was worried about would sort itself out. When he was still the same the next day Lucia continued to ask him if he was alright and again got nothing concrete, by the end of the fourth day Hanon and Rina jointly agreed with her that she'd put up with it long enough without a proper explanation. She confronted Kaito on the way home from school.

"Alright, will you please tell me what's bothering you so much?"she asked. "You haven't talked to me for three days, you're not paying attention in class and even the teacher has noticed something's wrong."

Kaito stopped and blinked at her for a moment, he hadn't realised he'd been _that_ spacey. Sighing he scratched his head for a minute, "Well it's kinda hard to explain," he evaded.

"I'm listening."

Kaito sighed again, "Well you see I met a girl seven years ago and I haven't seen her since and then a couple of months ago I saw her again. I've seen her several times since then, she keeps telling me to 'find her' but I've no idea what she means or where to look. It's frustrating."

Lucia's heart sank, _so he still hasn't realised_, she thought. _I don't know what else to do, I'm doing everything I can at the moment but it looks like nothing short of a confession will have any effect and if I do that I'll turn into seafoam!_

Her sadness turned abruptly to anger, s_tupid Kaito, why does he have to be so dense?_ Her thoughts were interrupted as she realised Kaito was speaking again.

"…..Anyway maybe I'll just forget about the whole thing, I mean it's not like it's important to me or anything–"

Lucia boiled over, "Fine then!" she yelled and ran off down the street.

Kaito was left standing on his own with no idea what had just happened.

"Well you've certainly done it now." A voice behind him said.

"I don't think you could have said anything else that would make her this upset. I've got to hand it to you Kaito, no one can make Lucia cry like you can." Another voice replied.

Hanon and Rina walked up to Kaito, he looked at them in bewilderment.

"What did I say?" he asked.

Hanon traded looks with Rina. It was Rina who eventually spoke. "The only thing we can tell you is that if you don't figure it out soon you won't be able to see either of them ever again." She and Hanon continued down the street.

"You better hurry up and figure it out." Hanon called back over her shoulder.

"Figure out what?"' Kaito shouted back.

~*~

That night as Kaito prepared for bed, Hanon and Rina's words kept echoing in his mind. _"You won't be able to see either of them again." "You'd better hurry up and figure it out."_

"Ahhhh! Figure out what?" He cried and punched his pillow in frustration. "What do they know that I don't?"

*You know for being a son of the Panthalassa clan _and_ my twin you can be extremely dense*

Kaito sat bolt upright as silver grey light appeared next his bed and the familiar form of his brother Gaito looked down on him.

He groaned, "Go away, I don't need this right now" he complained

*For all the hints you've been getting I would have thought even _you_ would have figured things out by now. It really is quite disappointing you know.*

Kaito glared at his brother, "Did you come here for any particular reason or just to insult and annoy me?" he asked.

Gaito shook his head, *As wonderfully amusing as it would be to watch you continue to fumble your way through life and still not get things right, I'm afraid that your lack of action in one particular matter has been causing Sara quite a bit of grief and that I will _not_ tolerate, especially when it's caused by you.*

"And what particular matter would that be?"

Gaito grinned *Why the matter of the true identity of the mermaid who saved you when you were little, and quite a few more times since* he paused, *Have I caught your interest?*

Kaito stared at him in disbelief "you mean you know who she is and where to find her? How do you know that?"

Gaito smirked, *Now that is a secret dear brother. However if you want to find your mermaid go to your surfers beach near the Pearl Piari tomorrow. If you wait there long enough you'll find your mermaid, and a few other surprises too no doubt.*

Gaito walked over to the window and looked out at the sky then turned to Kaito *I'll ask you this as well brother, why do both of the girls in your life wear the same necklace?*

With that the silver light faded and Gaito disappeared. Kaito spent the rest of the night thinking about what his brother had said. Luckily it was the weekend the next day so he could sleep in.

~*~

Lucia woke up feeling a lot better than when she'd gone to sleep. Last night hadn't been much fun after Kaito's ill-considered comment. The other mermaids had tried to cheer her up but for once none of them had been able to put even a dent in her depression. She'd gone to bed early but spent hours tossing and turning until finally she'd fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning.

Sara had spoken to her again in her dreams, comforting her as she cried and encouraging her again, telling her not to give up and that soon everything would be alright. To take her mind off things Sara had told her about life in the Indian Ocean, how Seira was doing as the new Orange Pearl Princess and how progress was being made in the rebuilding of her palace.

Lucia felt her mood lifting once again and as she slipped into a deeper more peaceful sleep she felt Sara hug her like the big sister she never had. Sara told her that all seven Mermaid Princesses were looking out for her and wishing her well and that with friends like them no matter what happened she would be alright.

The next morning Lucia promised herself that she wouldn't let Kaito's words get to her so easily, it wasn't his fault that she couldn't tell him who she was outright, and half the time he was joking when he said things like that anyway. She needed to lighten up a bit and take life a bit less seriously, at least where Kaito was concerned.

Humming to herself Lucia showered and had breakfast before starting her chores around the hotel. Just because it was a weekend didn't mean that customers stopped coming or chores didn't need to be done.

Hanon and Rina got up soon after she did and were glad to find her in higher spirits than the previous night. Together they got all their jobs done in record time, leaving them the rest of the day to enjoy themselves.

"Let's go shopping!" Hanon begged, "I saw this cute top yesterday and I have to try it on!"

"hmmm, I'd rather go for a swim" Rina fanned herself "cleaning the basement was dirty work and its summer too, I want a cool refreshing swim to wash off all the dust."

Hanon turned to Lucia with pleading eyes, "Please can we go shopping? We don't know if my top will still be there tomorrow!"

Lucia thought for a minute, "Why not do both?" she suggested, "We go for a swim now and take everything we need to go shopping with us. Hippo can watch it for us while we swim and when we get out we can go straight into town. How about it?"

Hanon and Rina traded looks, "Alright." They chorused and all three of them raced up to their rooms to get their stuff. Ten minutes later they were out of the hotel and on their way to the beach with an annoyed Hippo in tow. Hippo was not happy about babysitting a bunch of wallets, hats and sunglasses, Lucia'd had to threaten him with helping Madame Taki with fortune-telling all day.

With a last wave at the resigned penguin Lucia and her friends took running jumps off the small cliff at one end of the beach and dove into the cool water. Popping up to the surface Lucia floated around on the surface enjoying the breeze while Hanon played with the fish and Rina swam off her layer of dirt and grime.

About half an hour later they'd all had enough and agreed it was time to go shopping. They checked for watchers and then powered up to the surface, leaping right up out of the water. In mid-jump they all touched their pearls and transformed into humans landing high and dry on the beach, refreshed and ready to hit the shops. Hippo gave up his guard duty with alacrity and returned to the shelter and safety of the hotel. None of them were aware that Kaito, having taken Gaito's advice from the previous night, had caught a glimpse of the tail end of their swim.

Walking along the beach he'd seen Hippo sitting next to the girls things and wondered where they were. Hearing voices he'd looked over at the water and seen all three mermaids playing in the waves. He'd ducked behind some rocks and watched them for some time, totally focused on the pink mermaid as she swam and played with her friends.

_She reminds me of Lucia when she smiles_ he thought, and then did a double-take as he examined what had just gone through his mind. _Why did I think that? Well, it's not so much her looks because they are completely different from Lucia's, but it's the way she holds herself, the smile in her eyes and how she acts when she's happy. It all just reminds me of Lucia._

*Why do the two girls in your life wear the same necklace?* Gaito's words rang in his head again, almost as if his brother was standing right next to him. "The same necklace," he mused, "Come to think of it, Lucia always wears that pink shell necklace, she never goes anywhere without it."

Kaito peeked over at the pink mermaid; yes she was wearing a pink necklace that looked exactly like the one Lucia wore. However the other two mermaids were wearing green and blue versions of it too.

"Maybe it's a mermaid thing? But then why would Lucia have one, I've never seen them in any store?"

_Hanon and Rina have them too, green and blue as well, just like the other mermaids._

Kaito realised where his thinking was taking him. "Oh, no way!" he looked at the three mermaids again and quickly ducked back down as one glanced over in his direction. "There's no way Lucia and her friends are mermaids, that's just crazy!" said to himself.

_Gaito said you'd find her and a few other surprises._ A small part of him said, _You have to admit that this is surprising._

"Okay, lets say for a minute that I'm considering this idea might be true," Kaito thought out loud, "If Lucia and her friends are mermaids it would explain why they say they can't swim and don't go near the water." He ticked the explanations off on his fingers, "It would also explain what Rina and Hanon were talking about yesterday, they know everything because they're in on it." He ticked another finger, "It explains why Lucia gets mad every time I talk about mermaids, she is one and I'm coming up with silly ideas and not focusing on her." He glanced at the penguin sitting under an umbrella next to the bags and grimaced "It would also explain the weird behaviour of their pet penguin."

Things were starting to make a horrible sort of sense to Kaito but he stopped before he let himself believe completely. "If all this is really true then I should be able to find some real evidence pretty quickly……. I can't believe I'm even thinking about this," he complained. But despite his words his eyes flicked back to the mermaids –only to find that they were gone!

He scanned the water but there was nary a ripple on its surface, the penguin was still on the beach though so he relaxed a little bit. Well here was his proof! Those were Lucia, Hanon and Rina's belongings, if they were really mermaids they'd have to come out of the water to get their stuff and they were mermaids they'd have to transform somehow. If he could catch them transforming then he would be able to see if they really were mermaids.

He scanned the sea again, looking for any sign of the mermaids, flicking back to the beach every now and then to make sure the penguin was still there. He was so focused on his search that when all three mermaids burst up out of the water he jumped about six inches into the air. Luckily he kept his eyes on them so he saw them touch their necklaces and actually start glowing!

Each mermaid glowed with the same coloured light as the necklace they wore, the light covered them, obscuring their forms for a second before vanishing. As they fell down to earth and landed on the beach Kaito was left speechless as he saw before him the three friends he'd known for almost a year, Lucia, Hanon and Rina.

*Well done you figured it out* Gaito appeared next to him glowing with silver light, *It's about time. What are you going to do now?*

Kaito was almost too shocked to speak, "Lucia! She…she's the mermaid?" he managed to say before his legs gave out and he leaned against a nearby boulder, unable to take in what he'd just seen.

*Yup, a Mermaid Princess actually,* Gaito put in helpfully, *She'd the Princess of the North Pacific Ocean, her friends are too, Princesses I mean.*

Kaito stared at his brother suspiciously "You're enjoying this aren't you?" he asked.

*Oh yes, it's wonderful seeing you like this. I wish I had a camera on me. The look on your face when it all came together was priceless.*

Kaito glared at Gaito, "If you don't have anything constructive to say then go away. I've got too much to deal with without you're contributions thanks all the same."

Gaito simply grinned and then faded into the silver light, disappearing once again.

~*~

*Lucia…….Lucia……Lucia!* Sara's voice called to her in her dreams

"Sara? Is that you?"  
Orange light blossomed next to her bed. *Lucia, Kaito finally knows the truth but he is bowed down with the weight of realisation. Help him understand Lucia. Go to the beach. Sing for him Lucia, as only a Mermaid Princess can sing!*

Lucia woke with a start, the orange light faded and before her mind could catch up her body was up and moving. She threw on a shirt and some shorts and slipped out of the Pearl Piari and down to the beach. She ran to the surfers beach the Kaito had shown her, slowing down to catch her breath as she got nearer.

Rounding the corner she stopped, Kaito was sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean. The moon shone overhead, casting its light on everything and revealing the serious expression on his face. Lucia watched him for a moment, silver light glowed next to Kaito and she thought that she saw a human form standing inside it. Kaito turned and talked to it, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.

*Gaito is trying to help him* Sara reappeared beside her, *he has been right beside Kaito all this time, as I have been beside you. We couldn't bear seeing the two of you so close yet so far apart, it was too much like what we went through ourselves. Aqua Regina said we could help so Gaito has been giving Kaito clues to help him realise who you are. He put all the pieces together today after he saw you swimming here at the beach, but even before that, deep inside he already knew.*

Lucia watched Kaito a little longer, "What can I do Sara, if I reveal myself I'll turn to seafoam but I want to be with him so much," she started crying, Sara hugged her tightly before giving her a gentle push in Kaito's direction.

*Sing, Lucia, just sing to him. He'll understand.* she started humming softly, Lucia recognised the song as Promised Land and immediately felt better. Sara broke off and gestured for _her_ to start singing. Lucia took a deep breath and let it out, took another and then started to sing.

~*~

_Even though you can't see it, the treasure is always within your heart.  
I won't forget my feelings from that day. They spread throughout my heart._

A beautiful voice floated across the night air, Kaito stopped mid-sentence as he recognised the voice that was singing. It was his mermaid! He looked out to sea, thinking he'd see her but there was nothing but the endless movement of the waves. The song continued

_As the bell of wishes resounds forth, the door of destiny opens.  
Surely, we can make it through the struggle of getting there and reach our final paradise.  
On days where sad rain just continues to fall, continue to swim through them.  
You should always believe in yourself... in your heart_

Kaito looked wildly about him, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. He looked up and down the beach and suddenly saw someone coming towards him. With her pendant glowing a bright pink and Sara's glowing orange form just behind her, Lucia walked across the sand towards him. She finished the verse and then stopped, coming to a halt about a meter away from where Kaito was standing.

"Do you recognise me?" she asked,

For Kaito everything finally locked into place. It was true, Lucia was the mermaid who had saved him as a child and several more times in the past few months. She was the one who sang to him at night, haunted his dreams and filled his waking thoughts.

"Lucia, it really _is_ you isn't it?" he said.

Lucia nodded, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you but you had to figure it out for yourself. Mermaids will turn into seafoam if they confess their real identity to the one they love."

Kaito shook his head, "No, it's my fault. I was so dense! I should have known the moment I saw you that you were the mermaid from before. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise." He held out his hands "Can you forgive me?"

Lucia started crying and ran into his arms, overwhelmed by happiness now that she no longer had to hide the truth. Kaito simply held her tightly, apologising again for making her so unhappy for all this time and promising to make it up to her.

Sara and Gaito watched with happy smiles for a moment before fading away, leaving the couple alone to talk things out and finally fall asleep together, exhausted by the days events but secure once more in their love for each other, in all of their forms.


	2. AlertA new story

**Heyla everyone. Sorry this isn't a new chapter but I do have good news. Several people commented that they wanted to know about Sara and Gaito and what happened to them since I seem to have implied that they died. Well I wrote another story especially for you guys and put it up. It's called 'A Second Chance' and I hope it answers your question adequately . Enjoy.**


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